


you know better, babe

by KuuKuuBop



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Dick Jokes, M/M, Major Character Death (Implied), Swearing, X-EXO Clones (EXO), a damnation arc, if u must, mentions of robbery, the extreme opposite of a redemption arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-25 18:00:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30092955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuuKuuBop/pseuds/KuuKuuBop
Summary: In which Baekhyun lives long enough to see himself become a villain.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Oh Sehun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17
Collections: Round 1 - Inside Out





	you know better, babe

**Author's Note:**

> **Written for the First Round of 500 Feelings: INSIDE OUT.**
> 
> Based on the _"a hero would sacrifice you to save the world, but a villain will lay waste to the galaxy just to save you"_ trope.

The air tastes like ash, bringing with it the acrid scent of death and destruction. Baekhyun stands in the middle of all the chaos, a dull ache throbbing in his chest reminding him he's alive. 

It's like some sick joke; finding himself contemplating what might be the consequences of his actions. But, god help him, they might not even have the chance to punish him when the fires of hell are already licking at his feet.

He only intends to sink deeper. Until the flames caresses him neck deep. Until it engulfs him completely. Until all he knows is the heat, consumed by rage and sorrow, his hunger for vengeance.

He will not rest until he's sure the universe has paid dearly for laying a hand on Oh Sehun. And even then, it might not even be enough.

  
— — — — —

  
"Do I really have to do this?" He didn't intend to sound like a whiny baby, but he does. Baekhyun hates that his Bogey's power is light. He would love to preen under Sehun's fond gaze if it wasn't hidden behind the stark blackness of his safety mask.

"If you want to walk freely with him around," his attending physician coolly answers, tilting his head to indicate the bright beam shining through the glass cage. "You know we have to reintegrate him to harmlessly blend in with society."

Baekhyun pouts. "Look, he's harmless. He's just a walking glowstick. Dumbass can't even do anything exciting."

The beat of Dr. Oh's silence is a little too loud, followed by shuffling of paper as he looks through Baekhyun's records. "Alright, then. Let's see the damages, shall we?"

"I don't think we have to, really."

"We have an entire auditorium of audiences whose eyes are now sensitive to bright light."

"To be fair, I had to project because the mic stopped working mid-performance. And that was also years ago."

He's answered by the doctor's indulgent hum. "You were supposed to project with your voice, not blind your audience. Speaking of, you're in rehab because you completely blinded a man, is that right?"

"He mugged a small lady, about this height, see."

"She reported a slight charred smell after a brief flash of white light."

"Who's to say it wasn't the smell of samgyeopsal nearby?"

"You saved her from a mugging in a parking lot."

Baekhyun claps his hands together before pointing at his doctor. "Exactly! I'm somewhat of a hero this time, you see. So, what am I doing here in rehab?"

"The small lady you saved also partially lost her eyesight, and we found actual scorch marks on her bag handle. About the size of his hand." Dr. Oh gestures to the cage where the X-Cløne has his hands pressed against the glass, curiously watching them with his pale eyes.

Baekhyun scowls at his Bogey whose light brightens in defense. "It's his hand on the bag. Why am I the one being punished," he huffs, arms crossed over his chest.

He hears the doctor chuckle, muffled by his mask, and Baekhyun starts to feel a little more at ease. "As cute as you are when you're sulking, Mr. Byun, we're only here to help you understand your X-Cløne so you'll know the extent and how you can control the intensity of his abilities."

Baekhyun pouts, mollified. "Can't I get away with just a ticket? I was just trying to help, and it's not like he didn't deserve it."

"The man had first degree burns at the closest point of contact, Mr. Byun. I'm afraid there's more to your X-Cløne's abilities than you know."

And because he's mature, Baekhyun blows a raspberry before resigning to his fate. "Fine. Do you want me to strap in? Although, just so you know, there's really no need. I can assure you I am hung enough."

"That's not how... what? Oh. _Ohh_." God, what Baekhyun would pay to see the blush behind the mask. 

"It would be more impressive if you're humble," Sehun mumbles. "And just so you know, I have reason to believe I'm more blessed than you are. Oh, jesus _fuck!_ What do you have to be so bright for?!"

Baekhyun snickers at his Bogey getting scolded, the flash of bright pinkish light slowly fading in the background. "What can I say? I'm a star," he beams.

"Sure you are," his boyfriend finally breaks. "But only if you feed me breakfast in bed."

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. As if that wasn't already routine.

  
— — — — —

  
It sucks that adrenaline can only keep Baekhyun upright for so long. Hardly long enough to level the entire city. Dirt sticks to his skin, branding him as part of the destruction as he kneels among the rubble shaking against his will, voice hoarse from the dust lingering in the air while screaming Sehun's name out into the world, desperately willing the universe to bring his lover back to his arms.

He throws a rock at his Bogey who's standing right in front of him in deep concentration. The bright hot flashes of light emanating from him has weakened to a dull pulse, reflecting Baekhyun's exhaustion. 

"Fucking! Try! Harder!" He demands, a desperate edge in his voice making him sound helpless and pathetic. " _Please._ "

"We have to find him. We need to get Sehun back," Baekhyun begs, to which his Bogey can only whimper just as helplessly.

It's been hours since Baekhyun started wreaking havoc to find Sehun, to save him, to make sure he's alive. Hours long since the initial report before he was notified. And hours longer since Sehun was reported to have been attacked by a Rogue. Baekhyun can only pray to find something to mourn him by, at the very least.

He knows he can't afford to lose hope, not when it's detrimental to Sehun's survival. But Baekhyun knows even better than anyone that Sehun would never summon a Bogey, not even to save himself. Not even for Baekhyun who could never live without him. It's his stupid big heart, full of compassion even to the most destructive among them. 

Just then the dust clears, a chill breeze blowing like a balm over the heat of Baëkhyun's dimming light. It licks at Baekhyun's hair like a gentle caress, breath hitching at the sight both familiar and unnervingly foreign. 

Baekhyun would breathe a sigh of relief if not for the difference in gait and the marking that drips down in this... Not-Sehun's eye like a scar. "Where..." He breathlessly asks. "Where is he? Show me."

The confidence in the Bogey's strides doesn't falter until he's standing with Baekhyun right by his feet. There's no warmth in his unnatural eyes, but Baekhyun resists instinct and takes the hand he's offered. Right here, face to face with an untrained Bogey, he latches onto hope against every sign of it being gone.

"Please tell me he's alive. Show me where you came from," he pleads, unsteady on his feet.

The Bogey holds his cheek, reminiscent of Sehun, the pad of his thumb wiping a streak of Baekhyun's tears, and he breaks, crying a shaky stream of no's as he sobbed against the Bogey's chest, who tenderly holds him the way he wants to hold Sehun right this moment but can't, he can't. No matter how much he hopes against hope. He can't. He's gone.

There aren't enough tears to shed for the amount of pain tearing up inside Baekhyun's chest, ravaging him from the inside out, quaking in absolute grief against the unnatural coolness of this Not-Sehun's skin. He feels like death himself, except without the euphoria of oblivion, and all he can do is shake, exhaustion so heavy in his bones that the mere existence of gravity can forcefully bring him down.

Just how fucking sick is it that the one person so sweet and so kind to patiently rehabilitate these godforsaken anomalies is now a victim of one wretched Rogue.

Sehun tried to live a life so righteous so he wouldn't have to accidentally summon a Bogey that might cause trouble, and yet here is one holding Baekhyun as if Sehun prioritized consoling him for his loss over his own survival. God. 

_It's fucking sick._

Baekhyun can spend the rest of his life combing through the earth to turn every city into ash, leaving char and rubble in his wake seeking justice for the loss of the man he loves, and the world will still be able to pick itself back up when the dust settles, rebuild itself atop the ashes of Baekhyun's grief when all he wants is for it to mirror the utter desolation he will have to carry in his heart for the rest of his life at the love and loss of Oh Sehun.

_It's just so fucking sick._

The world must turn to ash.

**Author's Note:**

> Will add appropriate end notes after reveals hee hee


End file.
